Movie Depicts the State of Indian Wrestling

01 May 17

Pratinik Deshmukh’s short film, Maitili Kushti has become the subject of praise because of winning the national Award in the Best Exploration/ Adventure film category. The film focuses on the Chinchechi Talim, an old Indian wrestling ground in Pune. The place is a dim lit room, where about 40 wrestlers practice.

Even after the film getting praises at the national level, the Talim has seen no improvements and it still lies in dust. The Ustaad Pehelwan of the place said that earlier the place used to have more than 150 wrestlers here but now there are barely 50. The place is a residential training area and the players who take up wrestling are made to give up many pleasures. They follow strict diet and exercise and are made to follow the practice of brahmacharya.

Keeping in mind the deteriorating conditions of the Talim, proper initiatives need to be taken up to bring the sport up. Let’s hope the film spreads the information and makes people aware about the current situation of the Indian wrestling grounds.

How to Deal With Maths Phobia

19 Mar 18

Ever wondered why kids are afraid of Maths? Have you ever come across people in departmental stores/market place/busy street calculating their bills on phones? Worldwide, this Maths Phobia is discussed and these days, inspite of so many modern techniques coming including Abacus, the issue still remains unresolved.

Go back to your own time, specially the ones who finds difficulty in Maths, you'll held a plethora of issues responsible. Today, we will discuss a few issues that can be taken well care of our elders and mentors.

Highest Pedestal: People often place Maths at an unreasonably high pedestal that when children cannot fulfill it, they run away from it. Comments like "You have to score very good marks in Maths", "You have to score full marks" weakens the confidence of children.

Unnecessary Tension/Thinking: Parents/teachers/children often make Maths more challenging than it really is! It's often a custom to do all the easier subjects first and then solve Maths problems. It is as if a rule to resolve complicated issues later on that kills the fascination for doing Maths.

Maths phobia is a never-ending issue and its better to resolve it at a very early stage rather than to wait and watch.

First of all, take baby steps while teaching the subject, be it teachers or parents. Start by making them solve sums that are below their standard. This way, self-confidence will get enhanced. Never let down the children even if they are not able to understand at one go. Try to bring in practical examples around you while teaching the subject.

Cumin: History, Origin and Uses

19 Mar 18

Cumin is an aromatic spice with a strong, warm aroma and distinctive bitter flavor. Cumin is widely used in various cuisines and places such as Middle Eastern, Asian and Mexican cuisines. The spice can be sold whole or ground and is available in 3 colors: black, amber and white. The seeds are harvested from the tiny dehydrated fruit of an yearly plant that is part of aromatic plant family.

Cumin has been used since ancient times. The Egyptians were the first to have used it in culinary purposes. Greeks and Romans used cumin for its medicinal properties. Cumin is also pointed in the Bible in the both the old and the new testament. Today, it is most commonly grown and used in Malta, India, China, Iran, Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

Apart from adding flavor to whatever food it is added to, cumin is also known for its great medicinal properties. Cumin, along with other spices and ghee, holds a very important place in Ayurvedic medicine. The seeds are rich in iron and can help in strengthening your immune system. Studies have also shown that cumin can help in preventing development of stomach cancer, can prevent diabetes and has strong liver detoxification properties. Cumin’s contribution to wellness has really fascinated scientists and those involved in holistic nutrition. It is regularly used in seasonings and curry powders. Cumin seed oil is also used in the perfume industry to add that perfect touch of aroma.

India Wins Silver At The Asian Games Invitational Tournament

19 Mar 18

The Indian Men's Basketball team ended their campaign at the 18th Asian Games after losing to Indonesia by a score of 68-78. They played a very competitive final game at the end of Asian Games Invitational Tournament 5x5 Basketball Test Event Road to the Asian Games to be held in 2018. The match took place at the Istora Senayan Hall in the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex at South Jakarta yesterday. Indians were the first runner up and Thailand basketball team were the third runner up at the game.

The first quarter of the game had both the teams competing at the highest level and the game got really interesting. But, Indonesia suddenly took a single point lead over India and then, it just dragged out from there. They took their initial lead even further and stretched it out in the next two quarters making it a total of 58-45. The Indian Men's Basketball team did try really hard to bounce back in the fourth quarter so that they are able to defend and bounce back to their position for gold. But, sadly the efforts were not enough as Indonesia kept on scoring at regular intervals. Indian team's forward Aravind Annadurai led all the scorers in the game by 25 points while Indian team veterans Joginder Singh and Yadwinder Singh contributed to 15 and 13 points of their own in the game. Andakara Prastawa scored a total of 18 points to make a lead for the Indonesia's team.

Membership of the International Solar Alliance

16 Mar 18

The International Solar Alliance is an alliance of more than 121 countries, most of them being sunshine countries. The underlying motive is to enhance the scope of harnessing solar energy worldwide. Out of these 121 countries, 60 countries have signed the treaty and about 30 countries have ratified it. These countries lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. This alliance was launched based upon the sidelines of COP21 in November 2015 by Prime Minister Shri Narender Modi and the then French President Francois Hollande. Presently, discussions are going on regarding the expansion of membership of ISA to those countries that are situated beyond the tropics. It is speculated that PM Modi may make an official declaration concerning this expansion at the founding conference of ISA. Two more initiatives of ISA i.e., the solar storage and solar e-mobility, will be launched at the founding conference. Until now Korea, Germany, Nepal, Tunisia and Italy have shown great interest in becoming full fledged members of the ISA. It is high time that harnessing of solar energy takes place globally using advanced technology, especially in countries where it is not so easy.

Azlan Shah Cup-India No More in the Run

16 Mar 18

The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is an annual international men's field hockey tournament held in Malaysia. It began in 1983 as a biennial contest. The tournament became an annual event after 1998 due to its growth and popularity. In the 2018, Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament, the Indian team did not play very well in the first three matches. They lost against Olympic champions Argentina by 2-3; world champions Australia by 2-4; and drew against England by 1-1. Despite their not so good performance, the Indian team revived hope of doing well further in the tournament after their first victory against the host country Malaysia by 5-1. The Indian team was all focussed and determined to beat Ireland. India’s fate depended on a lot of factors. For India to be in the finals, it was necessary that Australia beats Argentina in the first match of the day, then India would beat Ireland by a big margin and then hope that the match between Malaysia and England ends in a draw. But all these dreams went in vain on Friday, March 9, 2018, when India lost against World No.10 Ireland. Meanwhile, world champions Australia and England have reached the finals. The final match was held on March 10, 2018 wherein Australia emerged as the ultimate winner by defeating England by 2–1.